


when the time is right

by xoxoHoran



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Grieving, Slow Burn, Team Max, post 'zoey's extraordinary dad', slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoxoHoran/pseuds/xoxoHoran
Summary: Time. She just needs more time. Eventually, everything will be okay.(She is sure that her family is not persuaded by her words, considering she is not even convincing herself, though no one really pushes her any further).
Relationships: Zoey Clarke & Max Richman, Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Comments: 25
Kudos: 88





	1. zoey

It’s hard.

She knew it would be and her suspicions were confirmed at the funeral, seeing everyone dressed in black, standing in the rain, but it’s somehow harder than she had imagined it would be.

In her mind, things would be hard, but she would be able to handle it by throwing herself into her work and whatever drama her powers stirred up (Max singing  _ another _ love song? Check. Maggie singing a song about being alone in the world? Check.): however, it would seem as if, though people are still singing, she feels  _ powerless _ about how to help them (she can’t bring her dad back from the dead and she doesn’t want to think about her situation with Max, yet).

She and David had spent the first couple of nights at their parents' house, keeping Maggie company and helping Howie move home (it felt awkward for him to still be around, he said), but eventually David had to return back to Emily (who was bound to go into labor any day now) and Maggie forced her to leave, claiming that she needed some time alone and  _ wouldn’t Max want to see her _ ?

Mo had called her multiple times with gossip updates about both Max and Simon, though she hadn’t answered any calls from either of the men: she just wasn’t ready for that yet. 

Her friend had said that Max had returned to SPRQ Point  _ temporarily _ under Joan’s jurisdiction, but only to take her place at work while she grieved her father. He also mentioned that Simon had been carrying around some sort of large contraption filled with things he had thought would help make her grieving process a little easier. 

Though she found both facts comforting, it didn’t help ease her nerves about facing either man: she was still hung up on the fact that Max had called Simon the last night they spent with her father and what that could possibly mean (that he thought he wasn’t the person she wanted to see at the moment? that he thought Simon would be better equipped to help her deal with the passing of her father, given the fact that he recently received his own? that he loved her enough to acknowledge the fact that she needed Simon, at that moment?).

Time. She just needs more time. Eventually, everything will be okay.

(She is sure that her family is not persuaded by her words, considering she is not even convincing herself, though no one really pushes her any further).

* * *

Zoey returns to SPRQ Point two weeks after her father’s death, after David stops by her apartment for the fourth time that week and insists that it’s time for her to start getting back into some of her old patterns (he had gone to work a few days after their dad passed, admitting that he needed to save any time of leave he had for when the baby arrived). 

Tobin and Leif both greet her with worried looks and Joan calls her into the center office immediately (Zoey is more than thankful for the older woman’s interruption as she spies Simon and his grief-trunk headed in her direction).

“Max has really stepped up while you were gone,” Joan comments easily, trying to gauge Zoey’s reaction from the other side of the desk. Outside the office, Joan watches as Max commandeers the team onto the bleachers to tell them about their weekly progress, clearly not having noticed his (former?) affection’s presence in the building.

“That’s good! He didn’t belong on the sixth floor, anyway,” Zoey mumbles, eyes trained on her boss, looking for hints of the possible direction the conversation is going in. Will she be fired? Is Max replacing her? Didn’t he  _ not  _ want his old job back? (Would he be okay with having  _ her _ job, though? Because it did offer the power he had liked on the sixth floor and it was easier for him-)

“Zoey, I’m not sure if I told you yet, but I am replacing Danny Michael Davis for a while, while he evades the FBI,” Joan interrupts her spiraling thoughts, bringing her brusquely back to reality. She remembers how anxious Joan had been when Danny had been calling her and how she had pleaded with him to get Max’s job back, but she can’t recall hearing that he was evading the FBI. “They found a flash drive in his sister’s basement with some pretty incriminating information, so it looks like it’ll be at least a year or two before he comes back.”

“Congratulations Joan, no one deserves this more than-”

“I didn’t tell you this so that you can congratulate me on my ‘accomplishments,’ I told you because I think you should take my place as floor supervisor.” Joan’s somewhat prickly nature is comforting to Zoey, who has been used to constant coddling these past couple of weeks (even from Emily, which has been  _ disturbing _ ). Her blue eyes widen comically as she registers what she’s being offered and, before she can say anything else, Joan dismisses her and calls Max into the office (Zoey quickly deduces that she’s tapping Max to take her place, which she thinks is a smart choice).

* * *

“I heard about your promotion,” Simon smiles as he makes his way toward her desk, a rustic trunk in hand and a small, friendly smile stretched across his face. Admittedly, Zoey has always been a little confused about Simon’s position as SPRQ Point, considering the fact that he has his own office and has minimal interactions with the other employees: she isn’t even sure she’s ever seen him and Joan share more than five words.

“Thanks,” Zoey’s response sounds completely different than she thought it would: in her mind, she was cool, confident, and collected, but she sounded (even to herself) as if she was a thousand miles away. She has barely grasped the fact that Joan had selected her to be the manager of the fourth floor and she knows she is not emotionally ready to have any sort of conversation with Simon about their romantic future (she isn’t sure there is one with him, anymore).

Simon leaves the trunk beside her desk with a promise to support her through the situation, but she can hardly force herself to wave goodbye. If it had been a couple of months ago, she knows she would’ve been ecstatic that the guy she had wanted to be with was finally reciprocating her feelings; the annoying voice in her head reminds her that this is  _ exactly _ what she would’ve wanted  **before** .

**Before** she kissed Max and thought maybe she was actually in love with him?  **Before** her father passed away and sent her world into a total tail-spin?  **Before** she realized how ingrained Max was into her family life and how she couldn’t imagine things any other way?  **Before** her mother spent countless hours questioning her about her relationship status with Max after the funeral (Maggie claimed it was a distraction technique)?

Max was a staple in her life: he was dependable and spontaneous, not to mention her  _ best friend _ . A few months ago, when she had serenaded him with what she hoped was a lovely cover of “I’m Yours,” she had told herself that any sort of feelings she might’ve had for Max were complicated and risked the friendship they shared (in hindsight, things were a little  _ off _ between them, even after she didn’t act on whatever feelings she said, but that wasn’t the point). 

However, seeing him with her father during his last moments. Watching him interact with her family at the funeral, helping make everything  _ easier _ and looking like he clearly belonged. Knowing that he was doing everything he could to make things better for her, even though he never directly said it. 

What he was doing was more than any sort of grief/pity trunk could possibly do. He was supporting her in silent ways and letting her know that he was there for her, even if it was in a platonic way (which, yeah, she knew had to have been hard, given their make-out session before everything spiraled).

During her lengthy conversations with her mom, she had decided that, when she’s ready to discuss her romantic life, she would prioritize Max over Simon (Maggie was more than thrilled with this development). Zoey confides in her mother that there is something comforting and warm about Max, something that makes her think maybe she could spend and share her life with him (she doesn’t know it, but as soon as she utters these words, Maggie begins thinking about wedding venues and floral arrangements for her youngest child).

She hasn’t seen Max in two weeks, besides when they simply passed one another as she left Joan’s (now her) office, but she smiles when she thinks about the future they might have together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I'm kind of the worst, but this was just something little I wrote about what I would like to see happen in the second season (fingers crossed!).  
> I am not sure if I'm going to write another chapter or another work in relation to this one, but for right now, I think it might be finished? Let me know what you think!


	2. max

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She’s given him more than he could have ever asked for and, though he has been trying to resist the fact, he knows that, whether she wants to be platonic or romantically intertwined, he will do anything to keep her in his life for as long as possible.
> 
> max's perspective following 'zoey's extraordinary dad'

He gives her space.

It’s what they both need right now: everything around them is changing (her father passed away, he was fired from his job, they  _ might _ actually have a chance to be together) and he thinks it’s the right decision to give themselves some space to sort through everything.

So, after the funeral visitations are over and all of the Clarke relatives have returned to their homes, he gives her a quick hug, presses a kiss to her temple, and heads back to his luxurious apartment. 

Part of him is screaming that he should go back to the Clarke house and just  _ be there for her _ , but the more prominent part of him knows that she needs to handle everything on her own: he can’t be the guy she leans on right now, just for her to realize later that she wanted Simon after all (and really, who can blame him for being a little  _ insecure _ , given their history). Throughout the past five years, he’s supported her and silently loved her in all the ways he’s known how, but this time he forces himself to take a small step back. He can’t just be the guy she likes when she’s sad or when something exciting happens, he wants to be the guy she  _ likes,  _ period. 

He settles on sending her a quick text reminding her that he’s there if she needs anything, but he subconsciously knows that she won’t ask for anything; he’s known her long enough to know that she’s going to want to take her time with the situation and process things on her own (Maggie once joked that Mitch was to blame for the Clarke’s ‘fiercely independent’ nature and Max had laughed, knowing she was right). 

Instead of sending her one of the million pictures he has of Mitch saved on his phone or calling her to discuss her feelings, he decides that he needs to help her in more subtle ways: right as he’s drifting to sleep, he decides he will return to SPRQ Point tomorrow to talk with Joan.

* * *

“Max! You’re back,” Tobin shoots him a toothy grin as they make their way toward the bullpen, with Tobin talking a mile-a-minute about the newest Instagram trend he’s decided to try (or maybe it’s about his newest celebrity diet? Max isn’t really listening) as Max nods along encouragingly, making ‘interested’ sounds every once and a while. 

He stops as they reach the desks, though his companion keeps walking and, just as his voice fades, Max hears Tobin call out that they should get lunch together to catch up before he makes his way toward Leif. 

Heading toward Joan’s office, Max reminds himself that he is doing this for Zoey: yes, he had told her that he didn’t want to go back to his job on the fourth floor (which was absolutely still the case), but he knew that, if he didn’t return (at least  _ temporarily _ ), things would become extremely behind on the CHIRP. The clear imagine of Joan demanding Zoey’s presence at the office before she is fully ready is what propels him to make his next offer: though he does not want to be back at SPRQ Point on a permanent basis, he wants to help pick up the slack that will be created in Zoey’s absence, so she will have less to worry about.

Joan readily agrees with the idea, mumbling about how he needed to be careful and not to bother her unless something was absolutely wrong: he didn’t understand anything, but he does remember Zoey mentioning Danny Michael Davis’s presence in the office the other day, and attributes Joan’s distracted mumbles to the nerves she feels whenever he stops by.

Leif is, of course, less receptive to the idea, but Max shoots him a knowingly look and emphasizes that he plans to promptly step down when Zoey ready to return to work: both know that, had Leif stepped up in her absence, Zoey would likely face a challenge to retain her position upon her return.

Tobin and the other bro-grammers seem okay with the power shift and Simon stops by his desk briefly to inquire about Zoey, before making it back to his office. 

Admittedly, Max feels a sense of accomplishment knowing that he was able to help Zoey, even if it isn’t something he’s doing, directly: he knows that it’s best to leave all of the cooking to Maggie (after completely burning the birthday cake he made for Zoey a couple of years ago, he mainly sticks to frozen meals and simple recipes that Maggie has taught him throughout the years). 

He feels a little  _ lighter _ knowing that he’s able to do  **something** .

* * *

Maggie calls him a couple of days after his return to SPRQ Point and, though they both expect him to inquire about Zoey, they instead spend an hour discussing how things are around the house and if there is any maintenance help she might need (eerily quiet and no - Zoey had done everything she could before Maggie  _ subtly _ suggested she return to her apartment). 

They talk about Howie’s absence in the house and how Maggie sometimes catches herself acting as if he is still there: sometimes she makes  _ too _ much food for dinner or buys obscene amounts of ice cream at the store for milkshakes that are no longer necessary (Max promises to join her for one sometime within the week, stating that it would be insane to let ice cream go to waste). 

Maggie mentions how she’s swimming in casseroles and empty dishes that she should return, though she doesn’t know who they belong to, and Max assures her that no one is expecting her to return them if they didn’t specifically label who they belonged to (neither is sure this is absolutely true, but they both allow themselves to believe it).

Max talks about how he’s back at SPRQ Point to make sure everything is running smoothly with the CHIRP, and Maggie (not so subtly) adds that she’s glad Zoey has someone so wonderful-looking after her.

Overall, they spend a couple of hours on the phone, talking as if they are old friends (which, honestly,  _ they are _ ) and going over their plans for the upcoming week (milkshakes, a casserole roulette dinner, and moving around the furniture in the house in a way that Maggie has always wanted but Mitch insisted was unnecessary). 

It brings him a sense of comfort, knowing that Maggie is doing okay, and a smile when he thinks about the fact that, though things are bad with his own family, he has people who treat him like their own in California.

* * *

Two weeks later, when she returns to work, he is still unsure of what to say (maybe even more so than he had been originally, because he’s really had time to  _ think _ ). Admittedly, he knows a few facts: he wants to be with Zoey (that obviously hasn’t changed), Joan is likely going to offer him Zoey’s job since she wants Zoey to replace her (Leif had told him this somewhat bitterly the other day and he has yet to fully process if that’s something he would want), Zoey and Simon have also not spoken in the past couple of weeks (the presence of Simon’s large trunk sitting in the corner of his office is all Max needs to see to confirm this suspicion).

That being said, there are a million things he is unsure of: will Zoey want to be with Simon? Will Zoey want to be with  _ him _ ? Does he want to stay at SPRQ Point or try something different (he had been leaning toward the latter a few weeks ago, but could a promotion change things?)? 

He knows it’s kind of a dick move, but he avoids her as much as possible on her first days back, telling himself that he’s allowing her time to adjust to being back to work and that he, himself, needs the time to process if he really wants to take Zoey’s old position (and if it would be weird for Zoey to be his boss - she already had been before, but this would maybe be a little different). 

When she asks him to lunch on her third day back, he mumbles an excuse about having to meet with someone and waits until she is a safe distance away, before allowing himself to look somewhere other than at his desk (he does sort of have plans to eat more casseroles with her  _ mother _ , so that wasn’t a complete lie). 

Maggie encourages him to seek out her daughter and clear the air once and for all (Max tells himself she’s a little biased about the situation, though he appreciates her insight). 

It’s during their fourth time playing casserole roulette that Max realizes how engraved Zoey is in his life: he had noticed her absence when he moved to the sixth floor and they had a big argument (read: he lashed out at her and felt bad afterward), but as he sits across from her mom, chatting as if they’re old friends, he realizes just how much Zoey means to him.

She’s given him more than he could have ever asked for and, though he has been trying to resist the fact, he knows that, whether she wants to be platonic or romantically intertwined, he will do anything to keep her in his life for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I did end up writing another chapter because I just kept thinking about how Max might be reacting to everything. I wanted to develop him within and outside of his relationship with Zoey and I hope that I did just that.
> 
> Once more, I am not sure if I should write another chapter (during which maybe they have a long-awaited conversation?) so let me know what you guys think! I hope you liked it!


	3. maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want to be with you, Max!” 
> 
> She quickly closes her eyes, her face scrunched as if she’s tasted something extremely sour, unable to look at the surprise she is sure is written across Max’s face. She’s an idiot: she can’t believe this has happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god, I can't believe it's been a month! I've been writing this chapter for a _month_!

They meet for the first time since her father’s funeral on a Saturday, when she stops by her mother’s house to find Max sitting at the counter, drinking a mint chocolate chip milkshake and sharing stories with her mom, looking as if he belongs there (it makes her heart beat a little faster, though her cheeks warm at the idea that she might be intruding on some kind of private moments between her mother and Max).

Blue meets brown almost as soon as she steps into the kitchen, with her mother making some sort of excuse to leave the room as quickly as possible (while they both know Maggie thinks she’s being _subtle_ and _smooth_ , she is being neither of those two things). 

“I uh- I didn’t realize you would be here.” She rocks slightly back and forth on her toes as she stands in the doorframe of the kitchen, not completely sure of what to say to him. It has been a week and a half since she returned to SPRQ Point and, besides hearing that Max would _not_ be taking her old position at the company, she has hardly heard anything about him (she tells herself it’s because he’s in-between jobs and _busy_ , though she isn’t sure she believes that).

“Yeah, your mom and I have been making milkshakes a couple times a week, since she keeps buying obscene amounts of ice cream at the grocery store.” Max’s voice is softer than usual and Zoey can hear what he isn’t saying (that her mom still hasn’t completely adjusted to the fact that her dad has passed and her shopping habits reflect that). “I’ve actually been meaning to talk with you.”

Briefly, her mind races with where this conversation might lead: **maybe** he will say that, after time, he has finally moved past whatever feelings he once harbored for her (she considers this a _worst case scenario_ type of situation, though she wonders if there is any amount of truth to it, considering how much he has been avoiding her lately). **Maybe** he wants to discuss her relationship with Simon (which they have defined as being strictly platonic) and any sort of future they might have together. **Maybe** he wants to ask how Mo is doing (he mentioned that Max hadn’t texted him in a while and had asked her if anything was wrong with him when she saw him last). **Maybe** -

“I’m sure you’ve heard that I turned down your old job,” Max continues, breaking Zoey out of her thoughts and reminding her that Max has other things to think about than their relationship status (which while true, does not mean he hasn’t spent hours thinking about it, as well). “I just wanted to make sure that you knew that it has nothing to do with you or anything: I meant what I said earlier, it’s time for me to try something different.”

Admittedly, Zoey hadn’t thought about herself when she heard that Max declined the job, but now that he said it _wasn’t_ about her, she briefly wonders if it was. **Maybe** he thought it would be too awkward working with her, considering he was over her. **Maybe** he- she stops herself from thinking of all the different alternatives racing through her mind when she sees the nervous look in Max’s chocolate brown eyes and the hesitant smile that is gracing his face. 

“Joan and everyone understands; it was nice of you to fill in for me while I was moving past everything, but I understand that this isn’t necessarily what you see yourself doing in the long run.” She internally flinches when she hears her own voice deliver the line, wondering if was seeming _too_ understanding or if she had accidentally implied that she knew he would want to move on _past_ her (paranoia and insecurity have really been her friends through the grieving process, keeping her company as she thought of all the different ways this conversation could end). 

He’s nervous. _God_ , he’s so nervous about this conversation. He’s only been thinking about how it might go for the past few days, mindlessly wondering if there was any real possibility they could be anything more than friends (he didn’t want to seem _too_ hopeful).

“It’s not that I don’t love SPRQ Point, I just thought it might be a little weird, given the fact that- with the sixth-floor situation and-”

He wants to kick himself as he keeps stuttering, trying to find the right words and always coming up short. No matter how many times he practiced this speech in the mirror, it’s clear he didn’t perfect it as much as he needed to, considering how badly he’s fumbling this.

“Max,” Zoey smiles, stopping all of his stuttering and smiling at him, soft and unsure, as if she’s worried that a simple smile might signal the end of their friendship (lately, she’s been wondering if they _are_ still friends, given everything). “It’s okay to stop and breathe, ya know.”

She had been going for witty, but as she hears herself utter the words, she knows she missed by a mile, landing somewhere between concerned friend and confused observer, trying to figure out what he’s attempting to say (she genuinely has no idea). Pushing down her doubts and worries, she allows herself to just _look_ at Max, who is fidgeting in front of her, looking ready to run at any moment.

“You’re important to me, Zoey.” He blurts out, eyes widening as he says the words a blush covering his cheeks, clearly embarrassed by his statement. Truth rings through his words and, watching as Zoey smiles a little brighter, he allows himself to revel in how honest (perhaps _too_ honest) his statement is. 

They’ve weathered countless movie nights and dinners at locations Tobin would have been jealous of; arguments about which Star Wars movie was best and whether Katniss should have chosen Peeta or Gale (he was a Peeta fan, personally). Their friendship had (sort of) survived his move to the sixth floor and his _unrequited_ feelings; the fact that she has the power to hear his personal thoughts and emotions had been something harder to move past, but they had, _together_. 

There is so much on the line: he knows that this conversation has the power to change their relationship status and the way their friendship functions, but he wonders, briefly, if he’s even ready to make those changes. When he had confessed his love to Zoey, he had thought that telling her about his feelings would be followed by a natural shift in their relationship; sure, they would each have to make a few changes, but they would have loved one another as friends first (and isn’t that what all the movies encourage?). Now, however, he knows that things would be different than he once thought: if he and Zoey were to make things work between them, there would need to be absolute trust between the two of them and a lot of work and effort, time that he isn’t sure either has.

“Max, you are one of my favorite people,” Zoey breathes softly, searching his brown eyes for any sort of indication as to what he might be thinking (he’s a little more guarded than she’s used to, though she somewhat expects it). “I can’t even imagine my life without you in it.”

It’s a sweet statement that practically drips sugar, leaving Max feeling a mixture of a sugar high and that somewhat sick feeling he gets after eating too many cookies, where he thinks he might be _actually_ sick. He’s leaning toward ‘sick’ as his mind races with things he should say: ‘Zoey, I can’t imagine my life without you, either,’ ‘Zoe, you’re one of my favorite people, too,’ ‘Zoey, I’m still practically in love with you but I’m nervous to even consider being in a relationship with you right now’ (there are really a plethora of options, all running through his head at once, muffled by one another.

“Zoey-”

“-Simon and I talked about… you know, and we decided to just be friends,” She interrupts, her eyes closed tightly, afraid to see whatever reaction (or non-reaction) he might have, not wanting to get her hopes up. She knows it’s not necessarily the best time to bring up _Simon_ given their history, but she feels the need to lay all the cards on the table, hoping her best friend can read between the lines (“Simon and I talked and decided to just be friends, _because I want to be with you_ ”).

“Oh-” Max’s eyes widen unintentionally as he allows that piece of information to sink in, a pesky voice in his head wanting to interrogate her about the situation: who ended things? Why? Are you okay? (every question he thinks of seems wildly inappropriate, given their situation).

“Yeah, I mean, Simon is still working through his whole broken engagement thing and the only thing we really had in common was dead father’s, which sounds kind of crappy and-” 

“Zoey, is everything alright?” Max cuts off what he can already tell is going to be a long ramble about nothing (well, not nothing, but not really something he wants to hear).

“I want to be with you, Max!” 

She quickly closes her eyes, her face scrunched as if she’s tasted something extremely sour, unable to look at the surprise she is sure is written across Max’s face. She’s an idiot: she can’t believe this has happened.

 **Maybe** it’s just a nightmare that she needs to wake up from. **Maybe** he didn’t hear her (which is unlikely, given the fact that she practically yelled it so loudly she’s sure her mother’s nosy neighbors could hear her). **Maybe** -

“Oh-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the worst person? Yes.  
> Has it actually been a month without an update? Yes.  
> Am I contemplating another chapter? Yes.  
> Will it take another month before it's written? Hopefully not.
> 
> Let me know if you'd like another chapter and what you might like to see happen!


End file.
